Currently, there are no AODA education standards. However, two AODA standards development committees have drafted recommendations of guidelines that AODA education standards should include. One committee has recommended guidelines for the kindergarten to grade twelve (K-12) education system. In contrast, the other committee has recommended guidelines for the university and college education system. In this article, we outline the Postsecondary Committee’s recommended accessibility training for contractors at college and university.
The committee’s mandate from the Ontario government requires recommendations focused on publicly-funded colleges and universities. However, students and educators with disabilities also face barriers in other education settings, including:
- Privately-funded colleges and universities
- Transitional job training programs
Therefore, all these settings should comply with the forthcoming postsecondary education standards.
Accessibility Training for Contractors at College and University
In addition to accessibility training recommended for all college and university employees, the Committee recommends specific training for third-party contractors providing services on campus. For example, contractors who should receive training include staff from third-party companies providing:
- Food services
- Health services, such as:
- Pharmacies
- Physiotherapy
- Residence operation
The training should take place online, and teach contractors about their responsibilities to accommodate people with disabilities under the:
- Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code)
- Postsecondary Education Accessibility Standards
- Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter)
Likewise, contractors should learn about their responsibilities to accommodate under other AODA standards that may apply to their roles, such as the:
- Information and Communications Standards
- Customer Service Standards
- Employment Standards
- Transportation Standards
- Design of Public Spaces Standards
In addition, third-party contractors should receive additional training on ableism, discrimination, implicit bias, and microaggressions.
Finally, this training must be anti-oppressive and intersectional. For example, training should alert third-party contractors that many people with disabilities also have other intersecting identities protected from discrimination under the Code.
Third-party contractors must receive this training when they begin providing service at a college or university. Moreover, contractors must renew their training every three (3) years.